Is there a Resort that is a "Destination" in itself?

[devotedchristian]

We are going to Disney but not to any Theme Parks. I was looking for a resort that has lots of activities without having to leave the property. As close as Downtown Disney as possible.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

The Nickoleodon hotel.. their pool is awsome many things for kids to do & it is near Disney

 

[lovingthemouse]

If you can get into Orange Lake Country Club- you have it all there. Look for an exchange, rent someone's unit or call to see if there are any vacancies. Golf, pools, miniature golf, movies, a lake with boats etc... truly everything!!!

 

[ttfn3]

Vistana Resort is especially nice when the weather is warm enough to spend lots of time at the pool. We have gone on several trips and have spent most of our time at the resort. The activities staff is great. Lots for the kids to do - pool games, scavenger hunts, tie-dye t-shirts, basketball, mini golf, water volleyball, arcades, tennis, etc. They have daily poolside BINGO. Nightly events - such as casino night (family friendly), BINGO, newly/oldie wed game, movie night at the pool. Special activities just for teens. Multiple pools to try. It's a great place to just hang out!

 

[riu girl]

I would second Orange lake. We will be staying there for the first time mid-December.
We are planning on spending a lot of time at the new on-site water park, luau, nature hike, watch gatorland presentation, go to the Sunday night meet and greet ( food and entertainment), family scavenger hunt, unbirthday party, indoor playground, beach, campfire, outdoor movies, indoor movie theatre,mini golf, 2 arcades, childrens pool games etc etc etc.

I wish we hadn't promised the kids SeaWorld. DH and I would be very happy staying at this place for a week and not leaving. It sounds like a true resort.

 

[Lisa P.]

Sheraton Vistana Resort and Orange Lake Country Club are the two biggest mega-resorts and they offer the most activities. VR is much closer (maybe a half-mile from Crossings). OLCC has its own golf, waterskiing/fishing and (soon) mini-water park area, in addition to matching what VR offers. Both have terrific newer sections but some complaints about their older sections.

Once Fairfield Bonnet Creek finishes building out, it'll be close in size to VR and it's located just off Buena Vista Blvd, midway between DTD and the BoardWalk! BC is so new that it's still small right now w/o all the extensive amenities that will come later.

For now, also consider Marriott's Cypress Harbour & Horizons Resorts if you have a family and you don't want to take a chance on getting an older room at VR or OLCC. These are both lakefront and have a lot to do (Horizons especially w/younger kids). The distance from these two Marriotts to DTD is greater than VR but less than OL. None of all these is normally more than a 20 minute drive to DTD. HTH!

 

[littlestar]

I second what Lisa P. said about Marriott's Cypress Harbour and Marriott's Horizons.

We stayed at Horizons a few weeks ago and their pools were terrific. As good as a Disney resort pool (and I'm a DVC member saying this - .) The slides at the pools were terrific. Cypress Harbour was just across the road from Horizons and we walked over there and got Crispy Creme donuts one morning. Very nice properties. Horizons had a lot of fun things for younger kids and Cypress Harbour seemed to have a lot for older kids.

 

[fostrmom2mny]

Gaylord Plams. Here is a link that gives a report. Many Disers actually VISIT the Gaylord Palms while on their vacation staying on sight. Check it out.
Gerri
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/hotels-motels/hotelinfo/77068.html

 

[webray]

Another vote for Gaylord Palms, very close to disney and a wonderful place to stay.

 

[Kelian]

Another vote for Horizons! We went w/ a 6,5,4 and 3 year old (what were we thinking??) and there was plenty to do for them. the pools were great and the villas were awesome!
~Kelly

 

[anewvance]

Marriot World Center is another choice. Huge place, lots of pools and a slide. Great resturants, golf and a Spa. We spent a girls weekend there and we only left one night to eat at a Hibachi grill since the one there was booked solid the whole time. And we never lacked for anything to do.. it was great!

 

[Perlla55]

Are the activities you are looking for children or adults?
Are you looking for a luxury or a moderate resort?
If close to down town disney is your preference then any one of Disney Resorts & Spas is the place to be, with pools, dining, shows, shopping, golf, horse riding, fishing, boating, parasailing, waterskiing, biking campfire program, wagon rides, wilderness trail, daily activities and games, you don't have to go to the parks to enjoy it all.

 

[KelnRon]

We usually stay at OLCC ~ not sure if you will be there when the big water park opens? This trip we are staying at Vistana b/c OLCC was booked for this trip! Check out OLCC at www.olcc.com

 

[coachyo]

anewvance,
Did you do a trip report on Marriott World Center? We are going in less than a month and have 3 nights there out of our 14 in Orlando. Tell me more about MWC. Please. PM me if you want.

Thanks, YO

 

[LISAMWDW]

Also, the Hyatt, although expensive. You would not have to leave for a few days!

 

[kaysmommie]

Hyatt Grand Cypress is and awesome resort to vacation at. We usually stay onsite but I think this even nicer than all the onsite hotels.

 

[mountainlake]

We've stayed at both the JW Marriott/Ritz complex and the Omni Championship resort. Both are phenomenal. The JW Marriott/Ritz is bigger and the services are truly amazing. The lazy river is awesome. They have many restaurants, a first-class spa, a wonderful exercise room ... and much much more. The brunch at Citron is one of the finest meals I've ever had ... including cranberry-orange-chocolate french toast made to order, plus fresh gooseberries.

The Omni is a bit smaller but we loved it more than the JW Marriott/Ritz. The rooms were bigger and service was better (not that the service was bad at the JW, though!). The lazy river had a good current - it's the best lazy river I've ever been in. Golf course, jogging trail, several good restaurants. We loved their restaurant Zen - for $40/per person, they bring out a sample of EVERYTHING on their menu. We rolled out of there!

 

[Perlla55]

Hello mountain Lake, love the name, welcome to the board
could you tell us if the lazy river is at the Omni or the JWM, has they got a nice pool too, thank you.

 

[rejobako]

If you need just a hotel room and not bedrooms/kitchen, I would agree that Gaylord Palms and the Marriott World Center are obvious choices. The Hyatt, JW Marriott, and Ritz Carlton are even more opulent, but typically crazy expensive (although I saw a $175 per night special for the JW Marriott running on Expedia recently, which is an amazing bargain for that property).

If you want the condo treatment, I'm partial to Marriott's Grande Vista, so much so that we're leaving to stay there tomorrow , but it's closer to SeaWorld (right next door, in fact) than Disney. One other option would be to stay at Marriott's Royal Palms, which will give you a full condominium/timeshare unit, but the property is right next door to the mega-resort Marriott World Center where you have pool/restaurant/charging privileges.

 

[mountainlake]

Hello mountain Lake, love the name, welcome to the board
could you tell us if the lazy river is at the Omni or the JWM, has they got a nice pool too, thank you.

Thanks for the nice welcome!

Both the JW Marriott/Ritz comlex, and the Omni have lazy rivers. I'll give a mini-review of both.

The lazy river is at the JW Marriott but if you are staying at the Ritz you are allowed to use it. The landscaping is absolutely gorgeous - extremely tropical. The current is not very strong, so you probably can't simply float, or if you are just floating, you'll be going pretty slow. You can buy the swim rings for $5 (the life-preserver shaped rings that you can float around in.) They have two hot tubs in the pool complex, and both are wonderful. They have other pools as well, but I am not as familiar with them b/c we stuck to the lazy river and the hot tubs. I'm pretty sure the Ritz has a spa, adults-only pool that you can use if you are at JW Marriott. (These hotels are literally right next to each other, you can walk from one to the other in just a few minutes, and they share conference facilities and a stunning spa.)

The lazy river at the Omni is superior, in my opinion. The current is stronger and that makes it a lot more fun, because you can simply float and you move around. I actually tried to walk around the pool in the opposite direction of the current and it was extremely hard! Also, the swim rings are free at the Omni. They also have two hot tubs - one near the lazy river and one by the adult pool. They have a water slide for kids and a zero entry pool to make it easy for little ones. Their adult pools is stunning - it looks like something out of a James Bond movie.

You could google both hotels and find their homepages, and then look at the photos yourself. Either way, you can't go wrong - both are wonderful. We prefer the Omni a little more but the JW Marriott is fantastic as well.